"I would like to tell you about the kitchen. It has the greatest of challenges, because it deals with everyone's solar plexus. Now, when people are hungry, they are likely to be discordant. And when the food they are served is not to their liking, they are likely to be discordant.

"In the ancient mystery schools it was the most advanced devotees who were selected and given the honor of preparing the food. Many adepts will not let anyone prepare their food. They prepare their own food. They prepare their own food and eat very simply because of the vibrations.

"Serving in the kitchen is serving as an alchmist of the sacred fire for the very life and body and blood of the entire organization. When you can serve in harmony, you can endow food with that life that all of the devotees need to continue serving. You can extend the life of the devotees. You can actually endow the food with that energy for their healing and help them overcome the imbalances in their bodies.

"There is no limit to the alchemy that you can evolve to in the service in the kitchen. It is not the place for ones who are discordant or who are the ones who 'can't do anything else, so we'll put them in the kitchen.' That is a wrong concept.

"And so I would like for all of you to feel honored and to make the kitchen the great focal point of the alchemy of the organization.

" . . . Portia inaugurated the Order of the Emerald Cross at Easter [1976[. And that was to be composed of those serving on the fifth ray—doctors, nurses, in all avenues of health. And we are to begin with a clinic in our headquarters where doctors will come—chiropractic, as well as M.D.s—and work together for evolving the best ways of treating people like us: on our diet, with our light, with the stresses of our service—but also being open to the community and extending that service to the community."

Elohim Cyclopea spoke of food preparation and pointed out that “when love goes into the preparation of food, it actually is a tangible substance which is partaken of by all. It is an inner communion.” The Elohim warned us against eating food “poisoned by human thought and feelings.” When eating in restaurants, therefore, “call to me . . . and ask that I shall hold the immaculate concept of that food and shall blaze my ray of the all-seeing eye, immaculately conceiving the perfect thought about that food.” The Elohim gave this instruction “to show you that all of heaven is trying to assist you to your ascension.”

"Hierarchy brings food to those who are hungry. Do you think that Hierarchy will bring to those who eat meat a cornucopia of vegetarian food? I tell you no."

"Now the subject of diet, precious ones of earth, concerns not only food for the physical body but also food for the soul, the mind, and the spirit of man. And so we turn our attention to the nourishing of the whole man that he may be made whole."

"In the meantime, the balanced diet based on grains, vegetables and food from the sea that has been known in the Far East for centuries may suffice many a chela on the path of the ascension."

"A pie is a sweet delicacy which 'tops off' a good meal. Besides the 'good meal' which you now possess, i.e., your daily supply of food and comfort, would you like to have more of that good—a 'pie' of added supply and comfort?"

"Know, then, that diseases will continue to multiply in the earth until one by one mankind faces his karma. And where there is no accountability, whether on the part of those who produce food for the nations that they know is not fit for human consumption or on the part of the individual chela on the Path who knows the way of the adepts yet does not follow it, such nonaccountability must be held in check! People do not take accountability for their physical body, their mental body, their desire body, their desiring to experience all things of this world and this flesh. Yes, this ambition, this pride must be held in check!

"Balance your mental and feeling bodies in the Libra scales that are in play as the Lamb of God of spring equinox does bring you to that point of integration with the living Christ of your being."

"You can predict with a high degree of accuracy: 'If I do or do not do this thing, this is what will happen tomorrow, this is where I’ll be in 10 years and this will be the result at the conclusion of my life.'

"We can read the prophecy of our health and life span in our bodies according to what we eat or don’t eat and how we take care of them. We can foretell our own future based on our past and present actions. We can foretell the future of a nation based on the actions of its people and leaders. And the older we get, the wiser we ought to get, because we should have learned many lessons from the consequences of our actions."

"It is true that the archives of the world do contain the record of some magnificent civilizations of past Golden Ages, presided over by rulers of exquisite grace and kindness whose attunement with the level of the Archangels and Emissaries of Heaven brought into manifestation upon Earth all of the wonders of Ascended Master Love.

"This included the instantaneous materialization of food and of needed supply directly from the Universal itself. The very dishes which contained the food were materialized for the period of their use and then dematerialized by a spoken command from the rulers of this land.

"All of these things seem like fables or tales from the Arabian Nights to mankind today. Men are taught from an early age to look to outward sources for their needs; they are even trained to ridicule those who seek to draw from the Universal the power of healing and the supplying of many of their needs.

"Religion itself is frequently mocked by individuals who are themselves on Earth only by the grace of the tremendous protection drawn forth by men of Good Will and Faith."

"I am come tonight to bring to you the fresh winds of the Zuider Zee; and I begin with a tale of the land of the dikes.

"There lived by the sea a gentle soul who was a miller. He and his wife served together to grind the grain for the people of their town. And it came to pass that in all the land there were no communities where so much happiness reigned as there. Their countrymen marveled and wondered, for they recognized that something unusual must have happened to make the members of this community so singularly wise and happy. And although the townsfolk themselves were born, grew up, matured to adulthood and passed from the screen of life within the community, never in all of their living were they able to understand the mystery.

"Tonight I shall draw aside the curtain and tell you what made the people of this community so happy and prosperous, so joyous and wise.

"It was the service of the miller and his wife and the love which they put into the flour. For this love was carried home in sacks of flour on the backs of those who patronized their mill and was then baked into their bread. At every meal the regenerative power of love from the miller and his wife was radiated around the table and it entered their physical bodies as they partook of the bread. Thus, like radioactive power, the energy of this vibrant love from the miller and his wife was spread throughout the community.

"The neighbors did not know the reason for their happiness and none of the people were ever able to discover it. For sometimes—although they live side by side—mankind are unable to pry the most simple secrets about one another. And so the mysteries of divine love continue to defy probing by the human consciousness, but we of the Ascended Masters' octave occasionally
choose to make them known to you by sharing these gems with you.

"The instruction which I would bring to you tonight concerns physical properties and their power to retain the radiation of those who handle them. The food which you eat, beloved ones, when prepared by hands charged with divine love, enters into your physical body and creates a much greater degree of spiritual happiness than mankind would at first realize. Those who are wise will recognize the truth of what I am saying; and if they must partake of food from unknown sources, they will be certain that they have removed by the violet transmuting flame those undesirable momentums of human creation whose radiation can do no good to the individual who partakes thereof and much harm to him who is unwary and therefore unprotected."

"The earth, lovely in springtime, retains its glories through all the seasons, but without the transformation effected by the tiny elementals it would be a barren world indeed. Likewise, without the action of those of us who shoulder still the responsibility for the spiritual education of the world by the power of our vision, attention, and love, men would have a lesser portion of spiritual food, which they require as nourishment and grace for their expanding consciousness.

"A mother who spends hours in the kitchen preparing food for those she loves does so for reasons far afield from self-glory. There is an action of the sacred fire in each dedicated hearthside feast where the homespun realities of life are born and nurtured by countless mothers the world around.

"This never-ending stream of devotion is little understood by the mass consciousness and yet it must be reckoned with today even in a vague sense by the social scientists and educators of the world and those who would set a higher standard for humanity. For the ritual of healing is centered in the heart of selfless service dedicated to the expression of the highest portion of good of which the individual is capable—no matter what the task, employment or office, whether performed by elemental, man, or Ascended Master."

"The food which you eat, beloved ones, when prepared by hands charged with divine love, enters into your physical body and creates a much greater degree of spiritual happiness than mankind would at first realize.

"Those who are wise will recognize the truth of what I am saying; and if they must partake of food from unknown sources, they will be certain that they have removed by the violet transmuting flame those undesirable momentums of human creation whose radiation can do no good to the individual who partakes thereof and much harm to him who is unwary and therefore unprotected."

"Does one tire of looking upon the orchards of rosy-cheeked and golden apples in the Northwest or the orange-colored pumpkins in the East and graceful ears of corn in the Midwest? Do mankind not expect the same general form, substance, color and flavor to be present in the same type of food every year?

"Some among mankind are truly grateful for these gifts of the Nature kingdom, and others take them very much for granted. All should learn how to express real gratitude for the gifts of God that supply sustenance for their bodies, thus giving them opportunity to express their talents among their fellow­men in service to life.

". . . As the vibratory rate of the planet itself is now continually being stepped up through your calls, so must there be a corresponding increase of vibration in every cell and atom of the bodies of mankind, the Nature kingdom, and all that is a part of the earth’s evolutions at this time.

"To bring this about, especially in the physical bodies of mankind, the type of food they eat will have to be changed, being made lighter and containing those vital elements which a refined physical body holding the light of higher octaves will need to harmoniously express here below. This food is already prepared in our octave and it will be lowered into physical manifestation
on earth through the Nature kingdom when the need arises. You see, all good manifests in God’s good time. Patience is its own reward. In the meantime, the balanced diet based on grains, vegetables and food from the sea that has been known in the Far East for centuries may suffice many a chela on the path of the ascension."

"The so-called powers of darkness, the hierarchy of the princes of this world, whenever and wherever they think they can get away with it use the profit motive as the basis for their judgments. If a scheme, a commodity, or a service makes money for an organization, it is good. If it does not, it is discarded. According to this attitude of business (which has become a busyness rather than an opportunity to serve the commonweal) restaurants, hotels, motels, and many other profit-making enterprises have acted with great disservice to humanity. Food has been prepared and preserved in a manner that betrays the best interests of the customer, and service has often been performed perfunctorily and sometimes even grudgingly.

"Improved health techniques have brought about greater longevity and a reduced infant mortality, flooding many areas of the planet with a superabundance of people per square mile. This has given the commercial interests such a flow of traffic that it has reached the point where the individual has become another mouth to feed, another number to pass through a line.

"Upon our planetary home, Venus, we are able to show our people the records of the evolutions of other planets as well as advanced studies concerning the science of administering the needs of humanity as a whole, and we can see by comparison that the people of Earth have much to learn concerning the use of the ingredient of love. Love is not only the fulfilling of the law, blessed ones. Love is the law."

"O beloved ones, if you partake of those substances that are provided so lovingly for your healing, know that the power lies not in the substance but in the qualification of that substance within your own hand, within your own heart.

"Therefore when you take whether of the food or of the concentrations of the food or of the elements that are prescribed, know that first you must hold them in your right hand, placing once again your left hand to you heart and calling forth the infinite blessing of Almighty God and the charging of that substance with a concentrated light that is the specific for your healing.

"So thus you may charge your water, your food, and all of which you partake. And one day, one day you will come to the place when you will not need to charge that secondary substance, for you will find that by the invocation unto the Lord Christ you will find the command 'Be thou made whole!' resounding within the temple of your being, resounding within the secret chamber of your heart.

"But, beloved ones, when you lack that attainment you ought to have a realistic assessment of your life and not jeopardize your life or the life of your community by doing those things which only bring shame upon the teaching of the abundant life when you have neglected the glorious dispensations that have come forth for the saving of life through the hands of the Lords of Karma."

"And we ask you . . . to hold your prayer vigils to deal with the opposition to the Mother and to her children in education, in the situation with drugs, in the situation of the nondefense of this nation, which has not the capacity to turn back and destroy incoming nuclear warheads, [in the situation of] the absence of the defense of the minds of children from what is shown on television and from the absolute desecration of their bodies in all manner of toxins and poisons and junk foods. Major, of course, is caffeine itself, which these children are imbibing from [their soft drinks at] such early ages, as the Messenger has discussed this day. *

" . . . it is well for you to take the bija mantras [for meditation on the Divine Mother and the intoning of the keys that unlock her power in your chakras. It is well] for you to offer the bhajans to the [Divine] Mother, to enter into that high state of oneness and attunement in her bliss and to experience the consequence of the gentle rising of the sacred fire on the spinal altar for the nourishing of your chakras, for the regeneration and rejuvenation of your bodies. Therefore we are gratified that you have found the means to detoxify your bodies with another system and another method that can greatly enhance your progress.

"The statement of Saint Germain remains true, that certain substances that accumulate in the brain do prevent the full focusing of the Light of your I AM Presence. I am certain that you realize that [such substances] affect your ability to be one in sensitivity and in vibration with the [highest Light that can be focused in the] crown chakra [and your ability] to increase that Light of the crown as well as of the third eye.

"When it is put this way, beloved, is it not with a [greater] sense of immediacy as well as with a greater [sense of] ease that you are able to look at those substances that you formerly took in (and that took you in!) and to recognize that these must be flushed out by the violet flame [with the aid of] these products that are being made available to you, [which detoxify] by physical chemistry?

"We look, then, for those bodies (and correspondingly those souls) that can contain more Light. And we look to the deliverance of [your souls as well as] your bodies, which are the body of the Mother, from all stress and burden and pain and distress that comes about by the accumulation [of poisonous substances in the organs].

"Surely, beloved, the fallen ones have genetically engineered more than coffee and more than caffeine for their own entertainment and to the destruction of the Lightbearers, as Morya revealed this day. For he has shown the Messenger that this is true and that these substances are enjoyed as stimulants by the Nephilim themselves, who brought such products [as well as recreational drugs] from the Twelfth Planet.

"Well, they brought many more products [with them to planet Earth than] drugs for [pleasure and simulated states of exhilaration], as you were told, whose harmful effects they neutralized with [special] equipment. The substances they brought, beloved, included pesticides and all types of contaminants that do not agree with the natural order or the natural vibration of planet Earth [and her evolutions. Their] knowledge of chemistry [enabled them] to create toxic substances that always produce a negative spiral that turns counter to the positive clockwise spiral, even [counter to] the upward spiraling flame of the resurrection and [counter to] the positive spiral with which God as Elohim originally charged] every cell and atom of your being.

"Thus they have introduced into the bodies that were provided for the souls of Light on this Earth substances that are totally intolerable [and totally] destructive, [causing degeneration, disease and death]. You must understand that this [systematic] destruction of the Lightbearers is a masterminded process.

"And [these fallen ones] do indeed fear the soul’s contact with her Christ Self and the tremendous Power, Wisdom and Love of the Inner God, the Inner Buddha, the Inner Christ of everyone who is the issue of the Light of Alpha and Omega in the Great Central Sun. They are desperate. They are envious. They are angry. And they have never ceased in their perpetual hatred of the Woman and her seed.

"And therefore they are as machines of imperil grinding out that imperil [and directing it] against you, seeking to trap you in every way possible—whether it be in psychological sockets wherein you bemoan your fate, whether it be in [mental and emotional states] of depression that are caused by these substances in the body, whether it be through schism in the psyche, whether it be that they have moved against your parents and those with you to cause all manner of burdens to be experienced by you in your childhood.

"No matter what the case [or circumstance], beloved, when you look at limitation and when you look at the [obvious] determination [of some one or some force] to snuff out your opportunity and your life, look to the Twelfth Planet, look to their organized confrontation with the forces of Light of planet Earth and just remember that that Twelfth Planet is the headquarters of Armageddon for the forces of the dark side in this sector of this universe."

Note:

* On October 8, 1990, the Messenger delivered her lecture “The Death Spiral of Caffeine,” in which she discussed the origin of coffee as a genetically engineered Nephilim invention; the historical background of coffee consumption; the caffeine content in coffee, soft drinks, teas, chocolate, and over-the-counter pain relievers; the physiological and behavioral effects of caffeine and its addictive properties; caffeine’s contributing role in disease; and a program for eliminating coffee residues and caffeine from the body. Questions and answers followed.

In the book The Magic Presence, Saint Germain states: “There are several things that leave a substance in the brain which must be cleared away if the Full Perfection from the ‘Mighty I AM Presence’ is to be released through the personal consciousness. These are, in the order of their importance: narcotics, alcohol, meat, tobacco, excess sugar, salt, and strong coffee” (Godfre Ray King, The Magic Presence, 5th ed. [Chicago: Saint Germain Press, 1982], p. 151). See also Saint Germain On Alchemy, p. 276.

"Beloved ones, I tell you, I have inspired upon the Messenger this lecture on the sugar entity because it is one of the greatest, if not the greatest threat. Coming through ignorance, this tempter causes the mind to rationalize and to say, 'I need this for my disposition or my happiness or my reward.'

"Beloved ones, now you know, and you will know much more. But I tell you this—let my chelas
who will come with me to the heart of the mountain now forsake this substance of the world. And consider now, as you remove yourself from the arena of all substances of sugar* of any form —-think of all these things of this outer world of which you will now not be a part, and you will have some sense of the withdrawal to the inner sanctum of the Holy of Holies.

"You cannot have the world and the Mystery School as well. The world has come for the killing of the Buddha and then made it into a faddish philosophy.

"O beloved, Serpents come again-their wares are the same. Go forth in my name and slay the beast of socialism! Its stench covers the vast landed areas of the earth. Its pollution is everywhere. It threatens the very fiber of this nation. How is it aided? It is aided by the sugar entity that makes people helpless as vegetables. And the sugar entity says through them, 'Take care of me. Take care of us. We demand it.'

"O beloved, I tell you, the sickness and disease that mounts in America would be reduced 50 percent if processed sugar were withdrawn. I say only 50 percent because there are other karmic causes. But, beloved ones, with a 50-percent reduction and the fine-tuning and awareness of the people and their ability to grasp then, with minds full of light, the Path and the Teaching, the other 50 percent would go down by violet-flame transmutation and by planetary exorcisms such as you have engaged in this night."

Note:

* Before the dictation, the Messenger delivered teachings from Maitreya on sugar and hypoglycemia-a disorder caused largely by the high percentage of sugar and refined starches in the diet, affecting an estimated 20 million Americans. Her lecture included a videotape exposé, on sugar, Sweet Nothing, hosted by Diane Allen (Westinghouse Broadcasting and Cable, Inc.; producer J.C. Anderson), and instruction on: the symptoms of hypoglycemia; the various forms of sugar, including honey, fructose, maple syrup, molasses, and corn syrup; the identical assimilation by the body of "natural" and refined sugars; the advertising industry's programming of consumers to desire sugar; hidden sugar content; the relationship between sugar and nutrient deficiencies, hyper-activity, and criminal behavior; and how to treat hypoglycemia by avoiding sugar in all forms and regulating protein/carbohydrate intake.

" . . . the chakras of your hands are to be consecrated as the chakras of the hands of Christ, corresponding to the nail prints where our Lord's hands were pierced. And as you use those hands to bless your food, to balance your food, to purify the water, to purify the air, to purify the earth and the inner and outer environment, you will understand that God made you to be on earth much longer than you anticipate.

"Let there be a softening of hearts. Let it begin with the physical chemistry. Be certain that you accept only those foods that are for the healing of the heart, the softening of the heart, and reject those that compound the hardening of the heart. For the softening of the heart brings you so very close to the Lord Jesus. And his angels will come and they will see his halo upon you and they will know that you are indeed a friend of Christ, bearing that mercy flame, that violet flame.

"May you know the fasting of the body with holy water, even water that you consecrate yourself with the palm of your left hand under the glass and the palm of your right hand over the glass, thus establishing coils of Alpha and Omega that meet in the center to make that water holy even as you are holy. Fasting, then, on water or perhaps, as has been suggested to you before, on the special bancha tea with the special toasted brown rice, consecrating this as well, you will find new levels of consciousness appearing, excessive weight falling from the physical form, less density of the mind, and the ability to surely place your feet in the footprints of your Lord.

"When you as children were allowed to bake and cook and learn [the culinary arts] from your mothers and in school, did you not find out that if you left out the leaven, the yeast and the baking powder, the dough would not be leavened and the cake would not rise? Did you not understand that improper measuring and incorrect ingredients would not bring the prize at the bake show?

"Blessed ones, the same is true with spiritual alchemy. These things are not so metaphysical. They are very much involved [in the application of the science of precipitation in all octaves]. Even as you have chemical elements in this octave, so there are counterparts [in other octaves], and the science of a cosmos is vast."

"See to it, then, that you guard your physical life and keep your health. For you [who are visible to mankind] are needed by the emissaries of God who are invisible. You are needed to speak our teachings, to write down those teachings and to be another voice in the wilderness as a John the Baptist who does clear the way for the coming of the Christ in every soul upon earth.

" . . . It has become more difficult in this age, for your foods are plastic and full of chemicals and rarely are they the pure foods that were brought forth in olden times when the earth was yet fertile and rich with the minerals you require—minerals being the very basic elements that allow the electrical currents to flow through the brain and the central nervous system.

" . . . I, Jophiel, come, then, with unfinished business and so do the angels of my bands. We require your attention! We require your involvement and your contribution to our work! Yes, beloved, we have not yet finished. And another round in this war against the tobacco industry must be fought and won now, ere we lose a generation and more of children who will find their bodies so toxic that they will scarcely be able to hold their hands still from the aggravation of the nicotine factor in their bloodstreams.

"Precious hearts, there are many attacks upon youth. And therefore I come this day to say that with these reinforcements we open wide our challenge to those who are abusing the life and the lifeblood of children of all ages and adults as well.

"I speak, then, of our challenge not alone to the tobacco industry [but also to the liquor industry]. How dare they, I say, go after the little children and the youth of the world [in their advertising]! Yet they do! And they should be reminded [of Jesus’ admonishment] in this hour, and I speak it into the very ear and heart of their own dense bodies saturated with nicotine [and alcohol] and I say:

"In the name Jesus Christ, any of you who should hurt one of these little ones, it would be better for you that a millstone were hung about your neck and you were cast into the bottom of the sea rather than face the karma that you will deal with for the corruption of the innocents [with the nicotine and alcohol entities]!

"Yes, I speak it! And when an Archangel speaks, beloved, that speaking is out of the mouth of God, for we are indeed extensions of God’s being in the earth!

"We bring comfort to you this day and reassurance. We bring a mighty reassurance to you that you can count on us. Our request is that we might be able to count on you to remember each and every day to make a call to us that will empower us in your town and city and on every continent to go after those who would destroy the children and the youth, whether it be through child abuse—the physical abuse of [their brains and] their bodies—or their abuse by drugs, [alcohol and nicotine] in any form.

" . . . Therefore examine your desires and examine your ignorance, the coatings of ignorance [from a dense] civilization that beget wrong desire, and come to that point, whether through pain and suffering or through enlightenment, where you desire only God, God, God!

" . . . So many opportunities are available. But I say to you today, if the children are not being ultimately ruined by what they are being fed in the schoolhouses, then they are being ruined by that which they take in as drugs [and alcohol], as excessive amounts of [nicotine,] caffeine, sugar and all manner of chemical substances whereby they do not even know who they are.

"Do you know, beloved, that we calculate that a very high percentage of all teenagers today are depressed, yet they do not even know they are depressed? And they have no one to talk to about the way they feel.

"Blessed hearts, it is a most difficult era for children to be born in, to grow up in. [It is difficult for them] to find themselves spiritually [or to recognize] the path of their own divine plan. It is a difficult era for souls of Light and even angels to take embodiment when so many [parents]
opt for abortion instead of carrying those babes who come truly as saviours and teachers and those [of every calling] who want to take their place side by side with you."

Mental and emotional problems may also be related to biochemical imbalances, such as those caused by hypoglycemia, candida, food and environmental allergies, and hypothyroidism.

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a sign of imbalance in the glandular system—the pancreas, pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands. This is usually caused by the consumption of a diet high in refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, sugar and other sweeteners, including honey, fructose and fruit juice concentrates. Excessive coffee consumption in addition to lack of proper sleep and exercise will also aggravate this condition. In addition to a wide range of physical problems, hypoglycemia has been associated with aggressive personality changes, rapid mood swings, hysteria, depression, anxiety, phobias (including claustrophobia), compulsions, violent temper tantrums, introversion, nightmares, lack of mental alertness, confusion, apathy, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, irritability and uncontrolled crying spells.

Candida albicans is a yeast microorganism normally found to a certain extent in everyone’s gastrointestinal system. The taking of prolonged or frequent courses of antibiotics, birth control pills or cortisone (or other immunosuppressant drugs) often allows for the uncontrolled growth of candida beyond its normal limits. Such unchecked growth eventually results in a number of toxic substances being released into the bloodstream that can weaken the immune system and can cause a wide variety of mental, emotional and physical problems, including food allergies. Mental and emotional problems that have been associated with candida overgrowth include agitation, anxiety, poor concentration, confusion, depression, food cravings, hostility, hyperactivity, hyperirritability, lethargy, memory loss and the aggravation of schizophrenia.

Food and environmental allergies are the general terms that describe a variety of mental, emotional and physical problems that can develop when an individual is exposed to foods or substances in his environment to which he is sensitive. Common foods known to produce an allergic response in sensitive individuals are milk, corn, wheat and eggs, but any food can be a problem. Some environmental allergens (substances that induce allergies) are pollen, formaldehyde, perfumes and exhaust fumes. Mental and emotional symptoms that have been related to food and environmental allergies are similar to those of hypoglycemia and candida.

Hypothyroidism is a disease in which there is inadequate production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. Every cell in the body is dependent upon thyroid hormone to produce the energy it needs to carry out its own unique functions. An inadequate level of thyroid hormone is associated with a broad spectrum of problems, many of them physical; the mental and emotional conditions associated with hypothyroidism are irritability, hostility, mental sluggishness and dullness, suspiciousness, delusions, inability to concentrate, introversion, failing memory, temper tantrums, contrariness and depression.

If you think you may be dealing with any of the conditions listed above, we recommend that you consult your personal health practitioner for more advice. The following books are also recommended:

Sugar Blues by William Dufty

Lick the Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton

The Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough by William G. Crook, M.D.

Candida Albicans: Could Yeast Be Your Problem? by Leon Chaitow

Food Intolerance: What It Is and How to Cope with It by Robert Buist

Detecting Your Hidden Allergies by William G. Crook, M.D.

Nutrition and Mental Illness: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry

by Carl C. Pfeiffer, M.D.

Solved: The Riddle of Illness by Stephen E. Langer, M.D. (on hypothyroidism)

"Some of the students already understand that when a certain initiation is reached, the intake
of energy such as food presently consumed by human beings becomes wholly unnecessary. Beloved Saint Germain lived for centuries without eating a morsel, and fulfilled the law of precipitation before the crowned heads of Europe—yet as is often the case, "they knew him ot"! Many others have demonstrated this particular facet of mastery over divine energy by drawing their light and life solely from the universal light of their own Mighty I AM Presence.

"It ought to be understood that the Ascended Masters, who in their finer bodes possess no organs below the heart, occasionally partake of the divine essences by eating specially prepared food which dissolves in their throats after the blessing of assimilation has been experienced. However, biblical accounts record numerous instances when great beings contacted unascended men who offered them food as an act of grace. The great beings usually touched the food with a staff and it immediately was consumed with sacred fire: thus it returned to the universal substance from whence the Master himself came and bestowed the blessing of a grateful cosmos upon the human donor.

"Hallowed be thy name" is a divine ritual, imbued with the thought of God-reverence. It is the spiritual responsibility of all upon earth to pay allegiance to the holy name of God, I AM! Failure to exercise spiritual privileges or to avail oneself of divine grace is self-punitive, depriving the soul who is remiss, of the blessing which would otherwise descend."

If you decide to fast during Lent, try pressure-cooked brown rice and bancha tea. It's a fantastic fast! (See the recipes below) Rice focuses the perfect balance of Alpha and Omega, the yin and the yang, the plus and the minus. Fasting on rice will assist you in balancing these energies in the body.

Make your fast a holy experience, beginning with the cooking of the rice itself. The Messenger suggests that you offer the rosary or sing bhajans while you prepare it.

You can partake of the rice at intervals, whenever you feel the need for sustaining nourishment. Let it be a period of spiritual meditation. As you peacefully eat the rice, visualize yourself taking in the Light of Alpha and Omega. Bless each mouthful as you receive the Light of your Father-Mother God, with which they endow it.

Eat the rice slowly in small amounts, being certain to chew each mouthful at least 50 times. While chewing, you can silently give the mantra "I AM Alpha and Omega in the white fire core of being." The bancha tea, which is also very balanced, can be sipped and swallowed with the rice or drunk 10 to 20 minutes after eating the rice.

Fasting on brown rice is a celebration of wholeness. The Messenger has said:

Each time I look at a kernel of rice I think of the great whole of the cosmos and the Tao and the yin and yang and this blessed, balanced food. It is almost like taking Holy Communion to receive it into the mouth in peace and in contemplation of God—to chew each mouthful a minimum of 50 times for the assimilation, as it were, of the Body and Blood of the Universal Christ, to take that in and feel the balancing of one's forces and then to proceed with one's preferred meditation. It is a wonderful spiritual exercise.

You will find a tremendous peace coming into your being because in every organ that is too yang, the rice will provide the spiritual yinness; in every organ that is too yin, the rice will provide the spiritual yangness. And day by day and little by little, you will be bringing balance, as an alchemist of the Spirit, to your physical body.

Although the brown-rice fast is entirely optional, it is recommended as a sustaining fast by which you can observe Lent and also receive healthful benefits. You may wish to fast one to three days and then eat cooked vegetables and other grains (barley, as spring approaches) for a day or two, or a week. In addition, if you would like to give up something for Lent, the Messenger suggests that you abstain from red meat and sweets.

On March 25, 1989, Elohim Astrea spoke of fasting on brown rice and bancha tea. Beloved Astrea said of this fast: "This indeed is a fasting and a self-emptying that has a spiritual/physical purpose. It is for the victory of the soul, the sharpening of the mind and the intensifying of the fire of the spirit. See, then, what incurable condition of psyche or mind or body you may heal by such a participation."

RECIPES

Pressure-Cooked Brown Rice

Ingredients

4 cups short-grain brown rice

7 to 8 cups purified water

1 pinch of sea salt per cup of rice

(Muramoto sea salt is best.)

Note: If you have an allergy to pressure-cooked brown rice or have problems digesting it, try toasting your rice before cooking it. Follow steps 1 through 3 below. Then, while the rice is still wet, put it in a cast-iron skillet. Start with the flame on high and stir the rice continually. It will take about 10 minutes for the rice to dry. When dry, lower the flame to medium. Keep stirring the rice for about 10 more minutes until it turns a golden color. Transfer the rice to the pressure cooker and proceed to step 4.

Recipe

1. Sort the rice on a tray or cookie sheet to remove small rocks and debris.

2. Put 4 cups of short-grain brown rice in a stainless-steel pressure cooker.

3. Wash the rice by adding approximately 7 to 8 cups of water. Stir gently with your hand in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Pour the water out using a strainer. Repeat 3 times.

4. Add 7 to 8 cups of purified water to the rice in the pressure cooker. The amount of water you use depends on how moist or dry you want the rice.

5. Put the pressure cooker on a high flame and bring to a boil without the lid.

6. When the water boils, remove the foam that has come to the surface. It may contain debris.

7. Add 4 pinches of sea salt. Cover and seal the pressure cooker.

8. Leave on a high flame until the pressure is high enough.

9. Reduce flame to low and cook the rice for 50 minutes. You may need to put a flame diffuser under the pot to prevent burning.

10. Remove the rice from the stove. Do not take the lid off until the pressure has dissipated naturally (about 15 minutes). If you are in a hurry and must remove the lid immediately, first put the pot under cold running water.

11. Take the lid off the pot and gently stir the rice with a wooden spoon.

Purchasing Information

Purchase organic rice if possible, as non-organic rice may contain pesticides and chemicals. Many large grocery chains now carry health food items, including brown rice. Natural food co-ops and health food stores often carry rice in bulk at a lesser price. One good brand is Lundberg, which offers an excellent quality of organic short-grain brown rice.

When purchasing a pressure cooker, it is important to choose one made of stainless steel rather than aluminum. Most large hardware stores or cooking-equipment stores carry stainless steel models. Presto makes both aluminum and stainless-steel pressure cookers for home use. There are also many excellent European models available through health food stores and oriental shops. The Aeternum brand, advertised in health food publications, is available in various sizes, from 3 to 12 liters.

Bancha Twig Tea (Kukicha)

Recipe

1. Place 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons of toasted twigs in 1-1/2 quarts of purified water and bring to a boil. (If you have untoasted twigs, you can toast them first in a dry cast-iron skillet. Stir constantly on medium heat until toasted.)

2. When the water boils, reduce heat to low and simmer for several minutes-about 3 minutes for a light tea and up to 12 minutes for a stronger tea.

3. To serve, pour tea through a small strainer. The twigs can be reused several times.

Note: Keep unused dry twigs in an airtight jar in order to preserve the flavor. Wet, used twigs should be stored in the refrigerator.

Purchasing Information

When shopping for bancha tea, be certain to get the twigs rather than leaves or a combination of leaves and twigs. (Toasted twigs are preferable.) Bancha leaves have a much higher percentage of caffeine than the twigs, which have only a trace. The twigs are rich in calcium, iron, complex carbohydrates, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. The minute amount of caffeine stimulates digestion and does not harm the body, as does coffee. In fact, it is the best drink for you when you decide to give up coffee for good.

Recommended brands of bancha are Mitoku and Eden. Both are available in organic stock. Many health food stores and some large grocery chains carry macrobiotic items such as bancha tea. If your local stores do not stock bancha tea, ask if it can be ordered for you. Most health food stores will order special items for customers upon request.

"Creative wonder, saturated with divine intent, manifests for man but passes unnoticed because of the great toll of human discord which has interfered with natural processes both in the body of man and without. The frightening toll of tired bodies that is taken today by synthetic treatment of the food and natural elements is part of the mass hysteria of life.

"Those whose bodies function with fatigue, denied the blessings that the tiny elementals bring, simply because mankind have chosen for commercial reasons to denude their food of the vital essences of life, often gravitate into mental breakdown. This is a great tragedy which brings forth the bane of unclear thoughts as the very cells of the brain and the cortex thereof are affected by the poisonous substances sprayed and generated by mankind into the marts of commerce and thence to the marts of life.

"The interference by commercial interests with the natural outflow of the rhythmic cycles of God's grace in food and substance is a source of great destruction in this present time. The overabundant consumption of carbonated substance interferes with the natural digestive juices which, when left alone, function to manifest beautiful body temples to house the Spirit of the living God. We cannot fail, then, to acknowledge that the power of human interference has affected man.

"To prevent the spoilage of goods upon the marketplaces mankind kill the soul of the food and leave the husks behind for the hungry bellies of the world. Is it any wonder, then, that the Babylon of human experience must fall and that the cycles of longevity which have been so long interfered with must be returned to those diligent ones who will seek perfect balance of body, mind, and soul?

" . . . It is not that we are against that which is just. It is simply that we wish to illumine all with the need to watch, not only the food of the soul that you consume through eye and ear and the physical senses, but also the food for the mind and body. Out of balance, let harmony come forth, and by harmony observe that an end to flood and storm can occur as the Lord Christ, the master of the elements—through the development of the Christ nature of every man—can bring his peace to a world in need of more light."

" . . . the Messenger announced that Lanello had asked her to read us an article from the December 13, 1990 New York Times that could 'make the difference in our lives and in whether or not we make our ascension.” The article was entitled 'Animal Fat Is Tied to Colon Cancer: Largest Study of Diet in U.S. Backs Long-Held Theory” by Gina Kolata. Kolata reported on the findings of a six-year study done on the diet and medical history of 88,751 women between the ages of 34 and 59.

"Researchers found that the more red meat and animal fat consumed, the more likely the individual was to develop colon cancer. The women who ate red meat as a main course every day were two and a half times more likely to develop colon cancer than those who ate red meat sparingly or not at all. No correlation was found between the amount of chicken, fish, dairy products and vegetable fat consumed and the risk of developing the cancer. As reported in the article, the incidence of colon and rectal cancer in the United States is second only to lung cancer.

"It is a question of vibration, beloved ones. When your vibration is somehow tied to the world by this or that, then, you see, I must defend you not only against the enemies of the Church but against your own vibrations and the vibrations of the world that you might yet knowingly or unknowingly cling to.

"I speak of many things, beloved ones. Shall we begin with this report—the report on fetal alcohol syndrome? Such a profound tragedy in the earth!

"You must know that Lightbearers also fall prey to this condition in the womb. Fetal alcohol syndrome is only the beginning. [The reporters] are not speaking of fetal caffeine syndrome, fetal sugar syndrome, fetal nicotine syndrome and the syndromes of all manner of pleasure drugs and medical drugs that women take [when they are with child].

"Blessed ones, then there is fetal yin syndrome, wherein mothers simply take in the extremes of yin food, [even as they sometimes take in the extremes of yang food,] and they are not bringing forth children who have the strength, who have the will and the determination, who have the Mind of Christ or the capacity to carry that Mind in the brain that is formed.

"Blessed ones, I would tell you that beyond [what is addressed in] this report, fetal alcohol syndrome continues through life. It is debilitating [because alcohol] does wreck the organs. And so it is [also true] in the case of the processed sugars and even in the excessive partaking of those natural products [fruit sweeteners] that are derived from fruit itself. There is also the matter of fetal chocolate syndrome, chocolate itself being one of the deadliest poisons in the earth.

"Blessed ones, the continuation through life of the harmful effects of caffeine and nicotine and sugar and drugs, this you understand. Will you also please understand that when these substances are in your bodies, they begin to affect the brain?

"But, beloved, people associate a loss of memory or effectiveness, of strength in their bodies or virility, with the passing of years when [in truth] it is these substances that are taking from them the fullness of their ability to function in the original purity that they had before they entered the body they now wear. These addictions are across the land and across the earth and they are affecting the generations that are entering.

"I am determined, then, if you are determined, to see to it that there is a pillar of fire in this place, which we call the Pure Land. The Pure Land is the heaven-world of the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas, long ago prophesied. And therefore, you may know that you have arrived at [the physical counterpart of] the Pure Land and that you may only enter [this advanced level of] the etheric octave when you are free of these syndromes.

"For you cannot fully enter that plane and consciousness [of the Pure Land] on a day-by-day basis unless you determine now to get rid of the plague of your addictions. [Nevertheless,] we ourselves can, at will, anchor [the consciousness of the Pure Land within you through our Electronic Presence until you are able to reach that level on your own].

"Blessed ones, do you not realize that having an addiction, [by definition,] indicates that you are enslaved to a habit and to a substance? I would far rather see you enslaved to some black magician that I might rescue you from that black magician. But how can I rescue you from yourself?

"Well, I will tell you how. I can give you labors on these substances and their false hierarchies, but it must begin with you. It must begin with the will. And it is not only the women and the mothers [whom I address] but it is all of you, for you are giving birth to yourselves. And what you will give birth to in this lifetime as the example of your cause and your victory and your ascension, beloved, depends [in part] on the decisions you make regarding these substances.

"I wish to tell you that as long as you have these substances in you, starting first with alcohol, I cannot lock my Electronic Presence about you. It does not even matter if it is less than one percent or a fraction thereof. Even when the alcohol has been removed, the mark of alcohol yet remains. And therefore when you partake, for instance, of beers and wines that contain within them a fraction of the amount or a shadow of the amount [of the alcohol] that was formerly in them because it has been removed, you are yet in the vibration of that substance, you are yet in the vibration of that alcohol [and the state of mind and behavior that goes along with it].

"And therefore you are affected and you do not realize that you are affected, and you do not notice because the covering over of your mind with the alcohol itself does not allow you to see that you do not have the powerful contact with me that you could have.

"This is a serious matter, beloved ones. Why, I even recommend that when you take homeopathic remedies [or herbal tinctures] that are in a solution of alcohol, you put the drops into an herb tea and steam off the alcohol [on a low flame] for four to five minutes. This is very important. [And although the mark of the alcohol remains, the medicinal benefits outweigh it.]

"And in answer to the question of some chemists on this staff, I have stated that the pattern of the homeopathic remedy and of the very substance itself yet remains in that tea when the alcohol has been removed, and therefore you do derive the benefit of the remedy without the harmfulness of small amounts of alcohol entering the system.

"Blessed ones, come to an understanding, then, that I think far too much of you and I have far too much respect for you to withhold this information from you. I desire to tell you this and to ask you, one and all, to quit this substance, to remove it from this Community in any form and to understand that it is in small things and big things that you win your victory.

"If you cannot understand the rhyme or reason that I bring to you, then I ask that, as a point of your love for me and my love for you and of your surrender to God’s holy will, you do this because I ask it."